In an ambitious draft proposal, the official planning agency for the four Pacific Northwest states said last week that energy efficiency measures could meet at least 85 percent of new electricity demand over the next 20 years, with renewable generation and a limited amount of gas-fired power plants meeting the rest.
As Energy Daily (subs. req’s) reported recently, efficiency investments are the focal point for a detailed new plan drafted by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.
The Council, with members from Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon, is responsible for developing long-term (20 year) electric power plans and revising those plans every five years. Here’s a snippet from their press release for this plan, the sixth in a series:
“Energy efficiency is the keystone of the power plan,” said Chair Bill Booth, an Idaho member of the Council. “The Council has identified an impressive amount of low-cost energy efficiency, and we’re looking forward to hearing comments about our analysis of that potential.”
Sounds pretty good. An economically attractive, environmentally sensitive approach to meeting energy demand through increased efficiency investments. But c’mon, that wouldn’t be the first time efficiency has been touted in this blog. So what’s newsworthy about the introduction of this plan, especially as it originates from the granola crunching part of the Western U.S.?
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